Development of a technique for color printing which is simplified while producing no waste material is desired along with the recent explosive popularization of digital still cameras, internet infrastructure improvements and increased ecological concerns.
There are known a variety of color printing techniques. Silver halide color print systems produce waste material in the processing stage, increasing an environmental load. Ink-jet printing systems, sublimation type dye transfer systems and melt type dye transfer systems produce waste materials such as cartridges and ribbons in the color material supplying section.
Print systems not producing waste material include, for example, a system employing image formation by a thermal head and photo-fixing, as described in JP-A No. 6-127121 (hereinafter, the term JP-A refers to Japanese Patent Application Publication); a system using photosensitive microcapsules, a dye precursor and rupture of the microcapsules by applying pressure, as described in JP-A No. 2001-312058; a system using a color material and photosensitive microcapsules, as described in JP-A No. 2002-268237; and a system using a color developing agent precursor and a photosensitive microcapsule, as described in JP-A No. 2001-142204. There is also disclosed an electrophoresis display comprising colored particles described in JP-A No. 2001-2424292 and fixation of a microgel for medical diagnosis using photopolymerization in an electrophoretic analysis, as described in published Japanese translation of PCT international publication for patent application Nos. 10-508381 and 10-512043. However, none of the foregoing patent documents discloses a print recording technique relating to the present invention in which electrophoretically mobile colored particles and a photopolymerizable composition are used in combination, and photo-curing and electrophoresis are combined.